The Wishes of Jayron and Krystal
by Matthais Unidostres
Summary: I'm Jayron, an explorer, dowsing machine expert, and writer for the Lumiose Press. I haven't a worry in the world. I don't have any Pokemon either. But that may all change when I discover that the people in Cyllage City are planning to kill an Absol in the nearby woods. . . Two souls with soon receive the deepest desires of their hearts. . .


**The Wishes of Jayron and Krystal**

 _". . .so take it easy, Jayron. The managing editor is loving your material, so feel free to work at your own pace."_

"Don't you worry about a thing, Alexa. I love writing it as much as the higher ups love reading it, if not more so. See you later."

 _"Always the easy going smooth operator, aren't you? Bye."_

"Bye."

I turned off my Holocaster and then refocused on the remains of the meal in front of me. After finishing the last of my sautéed mushroom and onion hamburger with provolone cheese, I wiped my mouth with a napkin and sighed, feeling fully satisfied with my meal. In fact, I was satisfied with my entire experience. It was a gorgeous autumn day, and the perfect evening to eat outside in front of the small restaurant in Cyllage City.

I was in such a good mood, I laid an extra big tip down with the rest of my money as the waiter approached me.

"I trust you enjoyed your food," he asked politely.

"I certainly did," I replied with a smile.

"Very good sir. Thank you for your business. Please come again, and be careful out there," the waiter said.

I gave him an odd look, "What do you mean by that?"

The waiter frowned, "There's been an Absol spotted near here, and that only spells disaster for this city."

I wanted to groan so badly. Why do so many stupid, ignorant people still think that Absols cause disasters? They predict disasters, and jump out at people to say "Natural disaster incoming! Run for shelter!" Can't anyone else see that they're trying to do you a favor?

"I'm sure that unless the Absol is actively showing itself to the city, we have nothing to worry about," I replied.

"Nevertheless, keep your Pokemon at the ready," the waiter warned.

"I don't have any Pokemon," I replied, my voice sounding a bit low.

"Oh . . ." the waiter said, taken aback a little.

"Pokemon don't seem to like me," I remarked nonchalantly.

Perhaps that was an exaggeration. However, I do know that none of the starter Pokemon I tried seemed to click with me. First I chose Froakie, and boy was he sassy. He never listened to me, and he hated it when I touched him or even looked at him. Seeing how unhappy he was, I went back and chose Chespin. He was cute, but there wasn't much of a connection between us. He was just so stiff and methodical. He listened to me, sure, but he didn't exactly warm up to me. I wanted a friend, not an employee. So then I tried Fennekin, and that was when I gave up. She was such a flirtatious, pretentious, dainty little thing. She'd probably be good for Pokemon Showcases, but that's not me. I don't think she liked me either, so I'm pretty sure no one was upset when I sent her back. Hopefully the next Kalos Queen will pick her up. Maybe that girl named Serena from back home.

Anyway, I had qualms about being a Pokemon Trainer anyway. I found the whole idea of challenging the gyms and entering the Pokemon League kind of pointless. Lose, and keep trying again and again until you win? And what happens after you win? Isn't that all a little demanding on your Pokemon? I want a Pokemon to be best friends with, and there's got to be a better way to build a bond than endless battling.

Anyway, throughout my life, my experiences with Pokemon haven't been very good. They either ignore me, avert their eyes when I look at them, hiss/growl/snarl at me, or stare at me with a look of either wariness or subservience. I don't know why they do this, maybe I just give off some kind of odd aura or something.

So, instead of being a Pokemon Trainer, I decided to become an explorer/writer. I've found a ton of valuable stuff with my trusty Dowsing Machine, and the articles I've written about locales throughout Kalos have gotten me good money, if I do say so myself. Alexa from the Lumiose Press saw my work and hired me on the spot. I planned to write a review about this Cyllage City restaurant this very day.

"Well then, you might want to stay inside until the posse has taken care of the Absol," the waiter said.

That word caught me off guard, disturbed me even. It had an uncomfortable connotation to it that made me think of angry groups of people with violence on their minds.

"Posse?" I asked in disbelief.

"Haven't you heard? A group of concerned citizens are going to find that Absol tonight and destroy it. More power to them, I say. The only good Absol is a dead Absol," the waiter said with certainty.

The memory of the delicious burger faded a little, and I decided then and there to skip the restaurant review. I was already ahead in articles, so my paycheck was safe. As I got up, I honestly wanted to spit on the ground and punch this guy in the throat, but that would be wrong. Instead, I growled fiercely as I took a few bills out of the stack I laid down on the table.

"What are you doing?" the waiter asked in surprise.

"Taking back your tip," I remarked coldly, as I took my black and white cap out of my bag and put it atop my full head of curly back hair. My face was turning from its normally nutty brown skin-tone to an angry red as I left the table without looking back.

I did my best to clear my mind, furrowing my bushy eyebrows and narrowing my black eyes as I did some thinking.

 _"Come on, Jayron. Don't let your temper cloud your thinking. You've got an important job to do right now."_

I looked up at the November sunset. Darkness would soon fall.

 _"It's time to save a life."_

* * *

I was standing atop the cliffs that overlooked the city and held the Cyllage City Gym within them. It was most certainly the dark of night, and the woods, in fact, did look a bit spooky.

At times, I even reached for my utility knife.

However, that didn't matter. I knew why I was here. I knew what I had to do.

Before going out into the woods, I asked around the city and eventually found the leader of the lynching posse. I pumped him for info, and I knew what their plan was. I felt sick when I realized how full-proof it was. A big enough posse could easily surround the Absol and guide it into a trap. And a posse armed with Pokemon and with a few sharp objects _could_ kill it. I had to find the Absol first and get it to run in a straight line until it was far enough away from this bigoted city. I know Pokemon are smart. I know the Absol will understand. If I can get it to listen.

I eventually came to the far edge of the cliff, and looked down. It was a steep drop, and I was thankful that I had the sense to move slowly in the dark. My flashlight was bright, but it wasn't equipped with warning sensors.

As I looked down the side of the cliff, I began to wonder, would the Absol come if I were to fall off the side of the cliff? Wouldn't that be a disaster? Luckily, I immediately dismissed this foolish notion. Absols can only detect natural disasters, not stupid personal ones.

 _"What I dumb way to die that would have been,"_ I thought to myself, smiling a little at my bit of black comedy.

I was about to turn around, when my flashlight fell upon something that appeared to burst in bright white light.

I directed my flashlight back at it; downwards, forwards, and to the left; and there it was.

I was awestruck by how beautiful this Pokemon was. It's fur was white as snow, it's horn was lethal yet majestic, it's claws spoke of power, and it's eyes. . .Those eyes stared up at me. Two glowing red rings with shining white pupils, so piercing in their gaze.

I had found the Absol, but was now unsure of what to do. We were seemingly locked in a kind of staring contest, and my eyes were already watering as my heart hammered away at my chest. What if the Absol ran away when I spoke? What if it didn't listen to what I had to say? What if it didn't believe me?

Question after question surged through my mind. But the one thought that plagued me the most was that any second now, I was going to loose the Absol. Any second now, it was gonna run away. I'd never find it in time. I had to get it to stay and listen, and to do that, I'd need to do something drastic. . .

Then my thoughts drifted back to my previous foolish notion.

 _"If Absols always try to warn people of natural disasters, then they must all want to **protect** people. . . so. . ."_

And so, out of a combination of wanting to protect this misunderstood Pokemon, adoration of this gorgeous specimen of a such an amazing species, and frustration of no Pokemon ever liking me, I did the most stupid thing I ever did in my entire life.

I walked off the edge of the cliff.

I regretted the decision the moment I made it. I was screaming the instant I felt the feeling of no ground beneath me and gravity yanking me downwards. I closed my eyes tightly, silently praying with all my might that my guess was right. That the Absol wouldn't let me die. . .

 _WHUMPH!_

I yet out a strained laugh of relief as I felt myself land on something soft, furry, and unyielding. I then felt myself sailing to the right.

The Absol and I hit the ground rather hard and rolled across the ground a bit, coming to a stop after a few feet. The flashlight rolled along the ground next to us, shining a beam of white LED light upon us.

I quickly sat up and stared at the Pokemon who had just saved my life. It had recovered rather quickly, not on its feet but in a Sphinx-like sitting position. I expected it to be angry at me for pulling that little stunt. However, it didn't look angry at all. In fact, the Absol looked. . .curious. It looked genuinely interested in me, as if the stunt I had pulled to garner its attention had impressed it. It's brow was raised, and its eyes looked at me inquisitively, as if waiting for me to say something.

Realizing that this was the whole point of my life threatening gamble, I quickly composed myself, took a few quick deep breaths, and spoke very clearly and carefully to the Absol, "I am sorry for doing. . . that. But, I just _had_ to talk to you. I was afraid you would leave or not listen to me. I _had_ to make sure you would stay and listen to what I have to say to you. Do you understand?"

The Absol nodded slowly, still with an inquisitive look in its eye. It's nose twitched slightly.

I nodded and said in the most serious tone I could muster, "The people. . . the humans . . . in the city down there. They're coming together in a group. A great band. They . . . they want to kill you."

The Absol's head tilted to the right ever so slightly when I said this, and it sniffed rather loudly.

"I _know_ that you are a strong Pokemon," I said, trying to give my best confident smile, and then returned to a serious frown, "But these guys are going to play dirty. They'll surround the whole area, they'll use their Pokemon to nudge you where they want you to go, then they'll gang up on you with 10, maybe 20 Pokemon at once. Then. . . _then it's all over,_ " I finished with a whisper.

The Absol had been frowning during my entire speech, but now it was apparently giving me a sad smile.

"Absol. . ." the Pokemon said softly in a gentle feminine voice that was both warm and cool at the same time.

I loved the sound of her voice, so I just had to smile. "So," I said as I shifted my position so that I was kneeling on my left knee, "You need to-"

My voice caught inside my throat. I found myself unable to speak. I was about to tell her to run away in a straight line, to not attack and to just ignore anything she came across until she was far enough away. But I soon realized that I couldn't do that. This was the first Pokemon ever to. . . _genuinely like me._ At the very least, she didn't hate me. She was even smiling at me. She was sitting calmly, looking right at me, and _listening_ to my words. There was no way I'd be able to just let go of something this amazing. And so, against my better judgement, I took another gamble. And judging by her big claws and dangerous horn, this gamble would also be life threatening.

"You. . . you _can. . ._ " I said slowly, "Travel with. . . me?"

The Absol's eyes narrowed slightly.

Suspicion.

"Please, _please_ believe me," I pleaded, "I'm not a real Pokemon Trainer. I don't even have any Pokeballs, let alone Pokemon. I'm just. . . a wanderer I guess. . . Call me Jayron the Wanderer. . ." I chuckled, trying to break the ice. The slight relaxation in the Absol's facial features was proof that it worked. "I just. . . don't have many friends. . . and, well, if we walked down to the Pokemon Center and I linked you to a Pokeball, no one could hurt you. We could see all of Kalos, maybe even all the world. And if you want to battle, I can give you that, only if _you_ want it. And well . . ."

I sighed. It was now or never. All or nothing.

I hung my head, unable to look the majestic Pokemon in the eye, and said, "You're the first Pokemon to ever like me. I always wanted a Pokemon I could call a friend. I don't want a slave who just battles. Battles aren't so important to me. I just want a friend to share. . . to share _life_ with, I suppose. And I'd be honored if you'd be my friend. But, I guess I'd understand if you decided to just. . . run away from here."

"Sol," she said smoothly.

I looked up at her, and saw that she was smiling. Not a sad smile, but a warm smile. She stood up and took a few steps towards me, and slowly leaned forward a bit.

"Absol," she said.

"You. . . want to come with me?" I asked.

She nodded.

Part of me wanted to shout in joy and jump up in excitement. Another part wanted to grab the Absol in a big hug. However, I knew better, and instead carefully reached out with my left hand and gently stroked the tuft of hair on the left side of her head. She closed her eyes and quivered with pleasure as I did this.

"Ab-sol!" she cried blissfully.

I smiled, happier than I've ever been before, and got up and said, "Come on, let's go."

* * *

As we head back down towards Cyllage City, side by side, my mind cannot stop going over how bright the future was going to be. I was already planning what we would do once we got to the Pokemon center. I'd buy a Pokeball- no, wait, first I'd fill out all the registration needed, I'm sure Nurse Joy will be happy to help with that. Then I'll buy a Pokeball- no! A Luxury Ball! Nothing but the best for such a cool Pokemon. I should also see if I can get some Poke Puffs for her-

"Hold it! Stop right there!"

Absol and I stop right in our tracks as the leader of the posse, accompanied by three other men, stood in our path. I noticed that the slightly overweight man in the khaki pants and button down shirt was holding a large carving knife in his right hand.

I swallowed hard. I hadn't thought of this, and now I was scrambling to think of a plan.

The man pointed at the Absol with the knife and said, "What are you doing with that demon?"

Absol crouched down, looking read to pounce as she growled at the man. Panicking slightly, I reached out and began petting her head with my left hand.

"Easy, easy," I said quietly and urgently to her. Then I looked over at the man and said, "Let us through. This Absol is my friend."

The men behind the leader spoke among themselves quietly as he gave me an unconvinced look and asked with an unpleasant drawl in his voice, "You telling me that you caught that thing?"

"Yes," I lied as I continued to pet her.

"Show me the Pokeball," he demanded.

I kept silent.

The man laughed, his grey bangs moving slightly as he shook his head, "You aren't very good at bluffing, kid. Now, out of the way."

The Absol snarled, and I could feel the tension build up in her body. I quickly stepped in front of her and spread my arms wide. I looked behind me to see the surprised look on her face.

"Trust me. Stay there. Don't move. Don't attack. Stay there and do _nothing. Trust me. Please,_ " I begged desperately.

"What the devil do you think you're doing, kid?" the leader demanded.

I gave the Absol another pleading look. Thankfully, she nodded genuinely, and I turned to face the man.

"First of all, please don't call me kid. My name is Jayron, and I'm 18 years old. Now, please, just let us go, and I'll take care of her," I provided.

"Heck no, I'm not letting that demon loose upon the world!" he said as he took out a Pokeball.

"I said _I'll take care of her._ I just need to go get a Pokeball for her, and we'll be gone by morning. Just let us leave and we won't come back!" I said again.

"Look kid," the man said, sounding more frustrated and impatient than angry, "I got these three guys and a whole bunch of other guys out here to exterminate that Absol, so that's what we're gonna do, so move along!"

I sucked in my gut and said, "You gotta kill me before you can kill her."

"What?" the large man said, his large grey eyebrows rising up and his face looking as though he had just been slapped.

"You heard me," I said, hoping that the third gamble I've made this night will pay off as good as the first two.

"Um, Leroy?" one of the other men said, "I think-"

"Let me handle this," Leroy said in a dangerous tone, his bushy mustache twitching madly.

I forced myself to not be nervous. I had a general idea of what would happen next. Worst case scenario, it's the hospital for me. . . at least, I _hoped_ that would be the worst it could get.

"Go, Magmar!" Leroy called out as he tossed the Pokeball.

The Spitfire Pokemon landed before me and glared at me, holding out its long claws in full view.

I gave a quick glance back at the Absol, who seemed both angry and nervous at the same time. "Please. Don't move. _Please,_ " I begged her.

"Last chance," Leroy said, staring at me with a level glare.

I actually shrugged and said matter of factly, "You gotta kill us both."

Leroy gave me a look of long-suffering, clearly not believing what he was hearing, and then shouted, "Magmar! Use Flamethrower!"

Magmar hesitated at first, seeing that I had yet to move, but then clenched his fists and breathed out a huge gush of fire.

"DON'T ATTACK! DON'T MOVE, ABSOL!" I shouted as I closed my eyes and braced myself.

The searing heat singed my clothes and blasted me backwards right into Absol. We took a tumble backwards a bit, and I could hear Leroy shouting, "Stop, Magmar! Return!"

When I opened my eyes, I saw that Magmar was back in his ball, and that Leroy was staring at me with a look of pure amazement. Then he shook his head and said, "Unbelievable. I can't believe you actually went through with it."

He walked towards me, and I couldn't help but cower a bit. I had already spent all my courage points for the week.

"Relax, I'm not gonna hurt you," Leroy said grouchily as he scratched at his mustache, "You want that Absol so bad. Fine. Take it. Take it and go. Go and never come back like you said. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a posse to dismiss. Come on, you three, spread out and spread the word that the hunt is off."

I sat there watching the men walk off into the woods. One of them, the one who had question the leader, even looked back at me in sympathy.

Once they were gone, I gave a loud sigh of relief. That had gone about as _bad_ as I expected it to. My entire front was covered in ash, face included, and my shirt and pants were pretty much ruined. Of course, this was nothing a shower and a change of clothes couldn't fix.

Suddenly, I heard a strange sound. It was soft, quiet, and quite pitiful to hear. I turned to look and saw to my surprise that the Absol was crying. She wasn't weeping hard or bawling her eyes out. Rather, she had her head bent down slightly, and was quietly sobbing into the back of her left forepaw, rubbing the tears off of her cheeks.

In an instant I was by her side, and I gently put my right arm around her in a soft hug. I couldn't help but enjoy the warmth and softness of her fur. It was so luxurious!

"It's okay," I said softly as I gently rubbed her back, "It's _okay_. You're safe now. They're gone. They can't hurt you anymore. You did good, Absol. You were just great."

The Absol nuzzled my cheek fiercely as she spoke to me in a Pokespeak broken by soft sobs. I stood there quiet until she was done, knowing that it didn't matter if I couldn't really understand her as long as I was there for her. When she was done, I gave her a quick squeeze, and then stood back up.

"We probably shouldn't push our luck by staying here," I remarked.

The Absol just looked up at me.

"We'd probably be better off heading to the Pokemon Center in Geosenge Town," I decided. Then I grinned playfully and said, "You ready to get out of here?"

She smiled back and nodded, "Sol!"

"Me too! Let's GO!" I said, and the two off us ran off.

* * *

After the aforementioned shower and change of clothes, it was time to take care of some paperwork at the Geosenge Town Pokemon Center. It was 10:30 P.M. by the time we got started. Luckily, the Nurse Joy there was quite the late night-Noctowl. Perhaps that's a requirement for a job like this. Anyway, after I was registered and everything was in order, it was time for the moment of truth.

I knelt before the Absol, holding a Luxury Ball in my left hand.

"Alright, Absol. Once you go inside, you'll be protected from other Trainers. But I won't make you stay in here, because you don't have to. You can stay out here, or go inside, whenever you want and for as long as you want," I explained.

The Absol nodded excitedly, and with a smile, she tapped the ball with her nose. The Luxury Ball drew her in, shook once, and captured her. I immediately let her out, and she immediately ran up to nuzzle me sweetly. I laughed as I petted her head in return, so happy that I had finally found a Pokemon who liked me.

* * *

It was around 11:10 P.M., so we soon went up to one of the suites for Pokemon Trainers, where I had gone to shower and change earlier. I tossed my bag onto the bed, where it promptly fell of the side of it and opened up, spilling most of its contents.

"Oh, great," I groaned, finally starting to feel tired from my very hectic day.

I went over to gather everything up, and my Absol friend joined me. The bag was full of things I had found with my Dowsing Machine that I had planned to sell after dinner in Cyllage City. Of course, I had forgotten all about that when I heard about the Absol's plight.

As I picked up tiny pearls, star pieces, and various other bits and pieces of valuables and put them back into their proper pockets in the bag, my eyes began to wander over to the Absol, who was picking up a Pretty Wing with her left forepaw as she rolled a Pearl into the bag with her right forepaw. Something had been subconsciously bugging me without me knowing, but now that I thought about it, it became very clear.

"Absol, do you have a name?" I asked.

She looked up and stared at me in surprise.

"I mean, I'm not sure if Pokemon have names of their own, but. . ." I began to feel a bit nervous. I figured that Trainers probably just give their Pokemon names and if the Pokemon likes it, they stick. But I wanted to get my friend's input on this. "I mean, would you like me to call you 'Absol,' or something else?" I asked.

She looked around in what could only be pure amazement. Her mouth opened slightly in an adorable smile as her beautiful red eye lit up like stars. She began looking around excitedly, as if searching for something.

"Sol!" she cheered, and she used her left forepaw to pick something up from the floor and place it on the floor right in front of me. It was one of the objects that fell out of my bag.

It was a quartz crystal.

"Quartz?" I asked.

She frowned and shook her head, looking slightly crestfallen.

"Crystal?" I said quickly.

She immediately brightened up and smiled.

I copied her smile. "Krystal!" I said triumphantly, something in my brain deciding to swap the hard "c" sound with a "k" sound. I'm not sure why I did that. My best guess was that it was because of how tired I was.

However, the Absol appeared to catch the slight change in pronunciation. Maybe Absol's have a keen sense of hearing. Anyway, she seemed to like this even better and nodded excitedly. She sat up on her haunches and laughed happily. It was such a sweet sound.

"So, you want me to call you Krystal, right?" I said.

To my surprise, the Absol shook her head, but still smiled. She then began to point to herself, then at the quartz crystal, then back at herself again.

"Ab sol sol absol! Absol sol ab sol!" she repeated over and over again as she kept up her pointing.

It sadly took me longer than I would be happy to admit to figure out what she meant. With eyes widened with amazement, I finally said, "You're name _is_ Krystal. . ."

Krystal cheered happily, clapping her forepaws and laughing.

What an amazing thing! It was like I could actually understand what she was saying!

Unable to stand it any longer, and reached over and gave Krystal a full hug.

"I'm so happy I met you, Krystal," I said, "We're going to be best friends forever, I know it! I promise."

"Absol. . ." Krystal said softly as she snuggled in my embrace.

Of course, I had to let go, for now. I quickly gathered up the rest of the items, deciding to sort them out in the morning, and pushed the bag off to the side.

"I could sure use a goodnight's sleep," I said with a sheepish grin.

Krystal chuckled as I went into the bathroom to change into my pajamas.

I came out, turned off the lights, and quickly got comfortable beneath the sheets. I was deliciously tired.

Krystal jumped on the bed and got comfortable, looking at me one last time before closing her eyes to go to sleep.

"Ab sol sol, ab," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Krystal," I said softly before quickly falling asleep.

* * *

After breakfast, we went to a jeweler in Geosenge Town, and I had two necklaces made. First, for myself, I had a plain one made with a socket that could hold Krystal's Luxury Ball in its smaller golf-ball sized mode, and it could easily be taken out in an emergency. Then, I had a silver chain made to hold the quartz crystal from last night. As I expected, the shopkeeper was confused a to why I wanted to use something like quartz for a piece of jewelry. He wouldn't understand. All that mattered was that Krystal loved the necklace and looked as if she'd never let it be taken off.

And so three weeks slowly passed, and I did well in keeping the promise I made.

I also realized how dense most Pokemon Trainers are. No one can deny that Pokemon, most of them at least, are just as intelligent as humans. Yet Trainers rarely treat them as such. Most Trainer don't try to really understand their Pokemon. Sure, most of them treat their Pokemon well and help them to get strong, but in all that, they seem to forget about these creature's souls, and just store them away in their Pokeballs like toys. A Pokemon could spend 5 hours of the day inside of a Pokeball!

And anyway, is it really all that hard to talk with your Pokemon and include them in your decisions? If they can understand specific move names or commands like "dodge," "go left," "go right," and "go and find *blank*," then I'm pretty sure they can understand human language! I even heard rumors of a Meowth that could talk not too long ago.

I mean, seriously, they can answer yes or no questions with no problem! Just through what amounted to a few games of 20 Questions, it didn't take me very long at all to discover Krystal's favorite flavors of Pokepuff (deluxe sweet and fancy mocha), what TM move she wanted to learn (Dark Pulse), and other basic yet valuable facts. Speaking of which, 20 Questions was one of our favorite games, although it's always me who asks the questions for obvious reasons. Also, games like tag and hide and seek seem to be timeless when you have a great Pokemon friend to play with.

Speaking of moves, I have to admit that it's a relief not having to stock up on Repel sprays all the time for whenever I have to go through some tall grass. Seriously, Officer Jenny should have some of these Routes mowed. Anyway, Krystal is as strong Pokemon, as I could already tell. It always amazes me how strong her Psycho Cut and Night Slash are. Now, I still don't plan on capturing a team and getting involved in that Pokemon League. I don't hate people who do that. In fact, I have to respect those Trainers and their Pokemon for working so hard for such a big dream. But that's just not my thing. Besides, other Pokemon still don't seem to like me. But as long as I have Krystal, I don't really care. I'm an explorer/treasure hunter/writer with a good friend beside me.

We took our time going through Kalos. We took advantage of the slightly warmer than usual weather and went swimming, we explored the forests for hidden grottoes, and Krystal listened to me as I read the drafts of my articles aloud. I most certainly appreciated Krystal's honesty. Seeing her groan or even facepaw whenever my wording got a little wonky helped me to take my mistakes in stride and better improve them. Personally, I think that she was just playing with me by over doing her reactions just for fun. Although I'm positive she really does want to help my articles sound good.

Currently, we were in Dendemille Town, and we were in the middle of a battle. Like many Pokemon, Krystal wanted to stay in shape, and I could tell she enjoyed battling from time to time.

"Bisharp, use Guillotine!" the opponent shouted.

The Bisharp jumped up and extended his long arm blades as he fell down towards Krystal.

"Dodge it, then use Night Slash quickly!" I said.

Krystal rolled out of the way just in time, and then unleashed her Night Slash right into the Bisharp's side, knocking him back a bit.

Krystal huffed and puffed a little. This was a difficult battle, with Bisharp being immune to Psychic and resistant to Dark. She had taken a few hits, but so had Bisharp.

"Don't worry, Krystal! We're chipping away at him! We've almost won!" I called out.

"Yea, right!" the confident, brash young trainer said. He looked about the same age as I was. "Bisharp, use Iron Head!"

"Dodge, quick!" I called out.

Krystal jumped, but the attack caught her belly and knocked her to the ground, hard onto her side.

"No!" I shouted.

Krystal opened one eye and gave me a reassuring smile, although she still lay prone on the ground.

I nodded, "Come on, you gotta dodge those attacks or-."

I was cut off when Krystal shook her head.

"No?" I asked.

"If you're done talking, how about you let us finish this with a Guillotine!" the rival Trainer declared.

As Bisharp bent his legs to jump as his blades extended, I quickly worked in my mind what to do. We had to dodge this, but Krystal said no to that, so that means-

"Sucker Punch!" I called out.

Krystal, although legitimately weakened, had been playing possum. With her remaining strength, and with one swift motion, she quickly rolled over to Bisharp and with kicked him in the chest with her hind legs in a potent Sucker Punch. Bisharp went flying up through the air, and then crashed down a few yards away, unconscious.

"Aw, man!" the trainer shouted as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Don't feel bad! Your Bisharp was tough!" I complimented.

"Yeah, whatever," he said as he walked over to the Bisharp and recalled him back into his Pokeball. "Good battle, I guess," he said, and he ran off to the Pokemon Center.

I quickly went over to tend to my friend. She seemed no worse for wears, although that Bisharp was clearly the strongest opponents she's ever fought. Another reason why the Pokemon League isn't my thing. How hard do you have to work your Pokemon for that?

Krystal shook the dust out of her fur coat, and she smiled as I approached her with an open bottle of Moo Moo Milk.

"That sure looked like an amazing workout of a battle!" I said as I put the bottle of milk to her mouth.

Krystal drank down the beverage gleefully, and when the bottle was finished and I took it away, she liked her lips and smiled gratefully. "Sol sol. Absol sol. Absol absol!" She placed a paw on her quartz necklace and said, "Sol ab sol!"

I petted her head and said, "That's right, we did it. But credit where it's due, it was mostly you. I'm just glad I can figure out what you're trying to say."

Krystal gave me a thoughtful look, almost one of longing.

"What is it, Krystal?" I asked gently, wondering if something was wrong.

"Ab - sol - absol . . ." she began slowly, her tone soft, gentle. Suddenly, her mood changed and she shrugged, smiling happily, and she said, "Ab, absol. Sol absol!" Then she walked over and nuzzled my chest.

I smiled and began petting her back.

"LOOK OUT BELOW!"

We both looked up to see what appeared to be one of those Sky Trainers flying in from seemingly out of nowhere. She landed a mere few feet away from us, a Rotom and a Butterfree right by her.

"What's going on?" I asked the wing-suited Sky Trainer.

"Jirachi! That's what!" she replied.

I gasped and exchanged glances with Krystal, whose beautiful red eyes had gone wide at the mention of Jirachi.

" _The_ Jirachi?" I gasped, "The Wish Pokemon?!"

"The one and only!" the Sky Trainer said with an elated smile, "Rotom, Butterfree, and I were exploring Route 17, we when we kind of. . . sensed something at the top of the mountain. It was like something calling out to us. It was hard work, because the Mamoswines couldn't take us all the way up. I had to do a lot of hiking, but we made it, and there he was! Jirachi himself! And he granted all of our wishes!"

The two Pokemon spun around in midair and cheered cheered.

"You mean, you asked him for wishes and he granted them?!" I gasped in amazement.

The Sky Trainer smiled knowingly, "Aha! Now here's the little twist. Jirachi told us that he wouldn't take selfish requests made at the spur of the moment. He said that any who come to him on this day will receive the wish they have in their heart, whether they know what it is or not."

I blinked as I tried to decode this message in my head. "So. . . let me see. . . do you mean Jirachi will grant you what your heart really _needs,_ not just what you want at the moment?"

"That's right," the Sky Trainer replied, "My wish was to be able to jump up and fly anywhere at anytime! Wind or no wind! Rotoms' wish was to be able to change into any of the possible Rotom forms at will. And Butterfree's wish was to be able to master both the land and the sky, so she got the ability to use Earthquake!"

Rotom quickly alterated between its Wash and Heat forms gleefully as Butterfree looped around it happily.

"Wow. . .but I thought Jirachi was supposed to be asleep for a thousand years?" I asked.

"Well, Jirachi said that this was a special limited time gift that he decided to try out," the Sky Trainer explained, "He'll be gone by sunset tonight, and he wanted us to tell as many people and Pokemon as possible!"

"WOW! That's incredible!" I said, the gravity of the situation finally dawning on me, "Our heart's desires. . ." I turned to Krystal and said, "We gotta get to that mountain, and fast!"

Krystal's enthusiasm matched mine. She was smiling and her eyes were wide and excited. Even her tail was wagging, a rare feat for her. "Ab sol! Ab sol! Ab sol!"

I ran over to the Sky Trainer and shook her hand vigorously, "Thanks you! Thank you so much miss . . . uh. . ."

"Anila."

"Yes! Thank you Anila! I mean it! I - we gotta go!"

And with that, Krystal and I were off like two Hyperbeams, eager to Route 17 and climb that mountain. We were wise to hurry. It was already 3:30 P.M.

* * *

Mamoswine Road is slow going, there's no doubt about that. I don't blame the Mamoswine though. They're built for strength, power, and endurance; not speed. And really, they _are_ the best Pokemon for the snow chocked path that is Mamoswine Road.

As I rode atop the Mamoswine, with Krystal sitting on her haunches behind me, clinging to my waist with her forelegs, I had time to think about what my wish would be. To be honest, I felt as though my heart's desired had already been fulfilled, so I couldn't think of anything else I could want. Maybe my desire was to be liked by all Pokemon. But as I thought about it, maybe that wouldn't be such a good thing. . .

My thoughts then drifted to Krystal. What would her wish be? That was something that really stumped me. I felt bad that I could't figure out what my best friend would want. I understood her in so many ways. I knew that she liked things both sweet and bold. I knew that she's interested in what people say, not just what I say. Whenever someone starts talking, I've noticed that Krystal always pays close attention. Krystal also makes funny facial expressions from time to time, like when I'm reading a draft to her. Another thing I know about Krystal was that she prides herself in her appearance and her entrances. She always does this adorable little bow of respect before she has a battle, and I feel that she views the battles themselves as a way to keep herself physically fit and looking good.

But what does that all add up to? What is Krystal's deepest wish?

We ran into several boulders that the Mamoswine did a good job in smashing. They were even able to make it up a couple of steep inclines. But eventually, we came to the point where no Mamoswine could climb. We saw several Trainers heading back on their Mamoswines, telling us that Jirachi was unreachable, especially with the heavy snow coming. Others said that they could climb it, but that there was not enough time left. I checked my watch, and saw that it was 4:08 P.M.

"Come on, Krystal! We aren't quitters!" I said as she let go of me and I jumped off of the Mamoswine, "We can still make it if we work together at it."

Krystal jumped off and ran up to me. She sat up on her haunches and gave me her left forepaw. "Ab sol Absol!" she said with a determined smile.

I held her broad paw in my hands, loving how soft her fur was. "Let's do this," I said.

* * *

Being an explorer, I had several ropes and mountain climbing spikes and cams. However, we didn't really seem to need that much at first. It was mostly really steep inclines and several areas where I had to do some rock climbing. I had no trouble with those parts, but Krystal had some difficulty. At first, these areas were short enough for the nimble Absol to run and leap up to the next ledge. Krystal was very athletic, and should be quite proud. However, at one point this only landed her a little more than half way up the wall. She tried to dig her large claws into the ice covered rock in an attempt to claw her way up the wall. The result was her quickly getting stuck in the wall and unable to move without falling off and landing flat on her back.

"We don't have time, Krystal!" I shouted over the howling snow filled wind, "We need to use a rope."

And so, I kept a rope looped around Krystal's middle so that during the tougher parts I could pull her up as she climbed.

Things were gong so well, until we had an uninvited guest.

A Delibird flew out of nowhere, and laughed gleefully as he used Present, tossing balls of light at us out of his bag.

Krsytal dodged them, but I wasn't as lucky. I was blasted off of my feet and thrown into the mountain side. I landed on my right angle in an odd way, and I clenched my teeth at the pain that followed.

"Gah! Krystal! Use Dark Pulse!"

It was not a good day for the Delibird as he was blasted off into the distance with a vengeance by Krystal.

The threat taken care of, she quickly ran over to me, worry clearly evident in her eyes. I quickly tried to stand up, to keep her from worrying, but the shooting pain told me that it was no use. I had twisted my ankle.

Krystal gasped as I fell back down onto the ground. I had dressed properly for this adventure, so I wasn't going to freeze, but I realized that I would never be able to get to the top of the mountain like this.

I checked my watch. Time was running out. Luckily, I kept a cool head in this cold situation, and came to the logical conclusion.

"Krystal! Go without me! You can still make it! We're close enough to the summit that you should be able to make it yourself with big jumps! Hurry!"

I saw Krystal's eyes widen with horror. She shook her head vigorously and shouted back at me, "SOL! Absol absol ab ab sol absol!" Then she ran next to me and placed her forepaws underneath me, then she tried shoving her head under me. I could tell what she was doing. She wanted to carry me.

I forcefully pushed her away and shouted in a level, serious tone, "Krystal! THINK THIS THROUGH! You won't be able to climb with me on your back! I can't climb with a twisted ankle! If you try to take me, none of us will make it! But if you go alone, then at least _one_ of us will get a wish! I'll be fine here, I'll be warm enough! After you've gotten your wish, _then_ you can carry me down the mountain if you want to!"

Krystal didn't seem fully convinced. There were tears in her eyes, and she held her quartz necklace in her left forepaw. Then she let go of the necklace and placed her left forepaw on my chest.

"Krystal! I don't even _have_ a wish anymore!" I shouted, and it seemed to catch her off guard. She tilted her head and stared at me, not seeming to understand. I continued quickly, "I got my wish when I met you! I got a Pokemon friend who really liked me! That was my heart's desire! And if Jirachi made all Pokemon like me, then that could change the meaning of our friendship! Or maybe it wouldn't, but it doesn't matter now! It's impossible for me to get a wish, but if I kept you from getting a wish I'd never forgive myself! If you love me as much as I love you, then you'll go get your wish!"

Krystal backed away and put a forepaw over her mouth. This was the first time I ever directly said I loved her as a close friend, but I wasn't thinking about that now. Right now, I just wanted her to get her wish, whatever it was.

"GO!" I shouted.

Krystal put her paw down and nodded in determination, albeit while sniffling loudly, and it wasn't because of the cold. Using her claws, she cut the rope around her middle, and left the rope behind as she bounded off towards the summit.

* * *

As I sat with my back to the mountain face, I silently prayed that Krystal would get her wish and come back quickly. My winter gear did a good job in protecting me, but my body heat would run out eventually. Although I did have a bunch of those chemical hand warmer packs I could use to get extra warmth. I thought about the dramatic conversation I had with Krystal. I hoped she understood what I was saying. She was very precious to me, and I want our friendship to last forever. I had plans to one day journey outside of Kalos, maybe visit Unova, and Krystal would always be right by my side.

I checked my watch, and a shudder that was not at all from the cold ran through me. Sunset had arrived.

 _"Indeed it has."_

I looked up in awe. Jirachi was floating right above me.

The Wish Pokemon smiled down upon me.

 _"I saw what you did, and heard what you said. Your selflessness and love should be commended and rewarded. Although I cannot grant you an actual wish, for you did not reach the summit, I can offer you some much needed assistance."_

Jirachi hovered down to me an gently touched my twisted ankle. The Legendary Pokemon began to glow as a soothing feeling surged through my body. It was also very warm. I was amazed as the pain within my ankle ceased to exist as the power of Healing Wish moved through me.

Eventually the glowing stopped, and Jirachi suddenly looked so very, _very_ tired.

 _"Sleep. . . I must sleep."_

And then, with a final flash of light, Jirachi vanished.

I'm not sure how long I stared at the spot where I last saw Jirachi, but I was broken out of my trance when I heard the sound of something approaching. This also meant that the howling wind had suddenly ceased.

I looked across and saw Krystal running towards me. Seeing the happy look on her face, I was unable to contain my excitement and jumped up to run toward her. We soon met in a lovely warm embrace as I rubbed her back while holding her.

"Jirachi healed my ankle!" I said excitedly, then I looked Krystal in the eyes and said, "Did he grant your wish?"

Krystal kept on smiling and nodded.

"That's great! What was it? I mean, can you show me?" I asked.

Krystal backed out of the hug an landed back on all fours. Then she sat on her haunches, put both forepaws over her heart, pointed at me, and then pointed down the path we took to climb to mountain.

"You . . . want us to go down first?" I asked.

She nodded.

I chuckled, "Making me wait, huh? Well, it _is_ cold up here. Alright then. Let's go someplace warmer!"

* * *

The suspense was killing me. Krystal made me wait until we got back to the Dendemille Town Pokemon Center, got a room, and changed into my pajamas for bed before she would let me figure out what her wish was. I also noticed that although at first she was all smiles an laughter, she began to get more and more nervous. No longer was she smiling, instead she was looking around nervously as she nervously licked her lips. I figured that she did that whenever she was nervous. I also deduced that she wasn't tying to tease me anymore, she was trying to stall for time.

I sat on the edge of the bed and looked straight at her. "Alright, Krystal," I said, "You've been acting so nervous, and you're making me go crazy with suspense." I said this with a smile, hoping that it would get her to relax. Apparently it didn't, as she only bashfully turned away so that her tuft of hair hid her face from my view. "Krystal," I said warmly, "I told you, I don't really have a true wish anymore. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm so glad I met you, and we're always going to the best of friends. So, whatever your wish was, you don't have to worry. Even if you think it was. . . I don't know. . . silly or something, I wouldn't care. I meant what I said back on the mountain, Krystal. You're my best friend in the whole world. I would never judge you or tell you what your wish should be. It's your wish, and I'm just glad you got it."

Krystal slowly turned to face me. Her smile was back on he face, right where it belonged. Her eyes were shimmering and filled with hope.

"You can tell me," I said as I patted a spot on the bed to my left, "What was the wish?"

Krystal jumped onto the spot I indicated. She sat down on her haunches beside me and leaned in close.

 _"Thank you, Jayron. Thank you for everything."_

The voice was unmistakable. I knew it better than anyone, and Krystal was looking right at me with those eyes. Those two warm glowing red rings.

"You just spoke to me. Didn't you?" I said softly, unable to hide the fact that I was in awe.

Krystal immediately turned away from me, saying quickly in a panicked tone, _"Oh no. No, you're afraid. You're afraid of me aren't you?"_ She closed her eyes tightly, her body getting all tense as she continued on in her panicked state, _"I knew it. What have I done, what have I done?! I'm sorry, please, I won't-."_

I immediately did the first thing I could think of doing. I reached over and hugged her. "It's okay, it's okay!" I said quickly, gently rubbing the back of her neck, "Take it easy, take it easy. I'm not afraid of you, Kyrstal. Don't worry. I'm still your friend. Don't worry. Just calm down. Calm down."

Krystal sniffed a bit, and was silent. Quite frankly, I didn't like her silence, so I decided to get her talking again.

"I wouldn't have thought that your innermost wish would be to talk," I said as I put my hand under her cheek and turned her head to face me.

Krystal blinked out the small trickles of tears beneath her eyes and said, _" Actually, it was just to be able to talk with **you**."_

My breath caught in my chest at that statement. I was deeply touched by that sentiment.

"Really?" I asked nearly breathlessly.

Krystal nodded, and a small smile grew on her face. _"Yes. So, you should probably be careful what you say when we talk in front of others. You don't want them to think you're crazy."_

We shared a small chuckle at that little joke, then I said, "Well, this will sure make things easier, I guess. And a lot more fun. Now you'll be able to do the asking in 20 Questions!"

Krystal nodded again, although didn't laugh at my joke. Rather, she gazed long and hard at me, then said, _"Jayorn, I already felt that we understood each other well. I'm sure that my wish to talk to you was not because things were difficult. It was because there were so many things that I wanted to **say** to you. Say in a way that you could really hear."_

Now I was intrigued. "Like what? Uh, I mean, what is it that you've been wanting to say to me?"

Krystal turned away again for a brief moment, hiding behind her hair, but then turned back to me and said, _"Okay, here we go. Do you remember back in the woods near Cyllage City? When I was crying?"_

I nodded wordlessly.

 _"I wasn't crying because I was afraid, although I **was**_ _a bit scared, although not for myself, that is, I mean. . ."_ Krystal stopped, and took a deep breath and let it out, then continued, _"I was crying because. . . they. . . hurt you."_

Krystal closed her eyes as fresh tears began to drip from them.

 _"It was horrible to see you put yourself in danger just to protect me. You took a Flamethrower just to save me from them. I wanted to attack them, to make them pay for what they did, but I couldn't. I trusted you. I had to! You came to warn me! To save me! I had to hold everything in or else it would've been all for nothing! You would've been hurt for nothing! But I couldn't stand it! They hurt you! You were the only creature alive who cared about me and they hurt you! They hurt you! THEY HURT YOU!"_

Krystal was sobbing brokenly and shaking her head repeatedly as her telepathic voice reached a fever pitch. I was dumbfounded, and a little bit frightened. I wasn't sure exactly how to handle Krystal's breakdown. I decided to settle with putting my left arm around her and giving her gentle pats as I waited for her tears to subside.

Eventually, she calmed down, and she leaned in close to me. _"Then, when we became friends, when I told you my name, and when we became close, I realized how important you really are to me. You gave me a new life, and I love it, and I love you for everything you've done for me, and all I wanted was a chance to tell you that directly in my own words."_

I had been fighting to retain control of myself the whole time, but this was too much. I was always so calm and easy going all the time. But right now, it was all coming down. With a loud sob, I grabbed Krystal into the tightest hug I could manage without hurting, suffocating, or strangling her. I clung to her like a child as I sobbed tears of raw emotion into her fur.

"Krystal! I love you! I love you so much!" I sobbed. I felt her wrap her forelegs around me, and I smiled in spite of my tears. "I'm not lonely anymore. . . I've always refused to admit it to myself, and never accepted it, but I really _was_ so lonely before I met you. All I did was focus on my work, to try and block it out, but I still felt it at times. I didn't have a Pokemon partner, and I was lonely. But not anymore. . . because of you. You like me for who I am. And I like you for who you are."

 _"I guess we kinda saved each other for being lonely,"_ she replied, and I was further cheered by the knowledge that she had to have picked up the word "kinda" from me.

We eventually let go, but we had to have stayed like that for at least 5 minutes if not longer. We looked each other up and down, and I couldn't help but laugh and say, "Sorry for soaking your fur."

Krystal blinked, then smirked mischievously and said, _"It's nothing compared to what I did to your shirt!"_

After yet another quick smattering of laughter, I quickly changed into something a bit dryer and turned out the lights. I sat back on the bed next to closest friend and put my arm around her again.

"Tried?" I asked.

Krystal nodded.

I didn't move right away. I thought of something, but wasn't sure how to say it. Luckily, Krystal solved this problem.

 _"Jayron?"_ she asked.

"Yes?"

 _"Can . . .could we . . . I mean. . . I thought we could. . ."_

"Stay like this," I said as a tightened my embrace, happy to see that we had the same idea.

 _"Can we?"_

"Just for tonight," I said with a grin.

Krystal gave me her soft, relaxed smile. _"Okay. . ."_

Not at all cold, the two of us lay on the bed, hugging warmly, our minds comforted by the thought that our friendship would last forever and take us on many adventures in this world. Without a doubt, our future was bright.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** This was a very interesting story for me to write. What started out as a parody of Pokemon and Trainer Warm and Fuzzy Feeling fanfiction turned into something quite legitimately nice. At least, I think it's a pretty decent story. What do you all think? Please review._


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